[z/OS]

Securing optimized local adapters for inbound support

Use this task to set up security for your optimized local adapters connections that perform inbound calls.

Before you begin

Run the WebSphere® Application Server for z/OS® servers with global security and activate the Sync-to-OS Thread option if you intend to use the optimized local adapter APIs with those servers. To read about global security, see the topic, Enabling security. To read more about activating the Sync-to-OS Thread option, see the topic, z/OS security options.

Local access to WebSphere Application Server for z/OS servers is protected by the System Authorization Facility (SAF) CBIND class. This class is defined during profile creation and is used to protect WebSphere Application Server for z/OS servers when Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) local client connection requests are made, and optimized local adapters requests. Before running any application that uses the Register API, be sure to grant READ access for the user ID for the job, UNIX® System Services (USS) process, or Customer Information Control System (CICS®) region to the CBIND class for the target server. This is setup with the BBOCBRAK job. For more information about the CBIND class, read the topic, Using CBIND to control access to clusters.

All inbound requests to WebSphere Application Server run under the authority of the current user on thread. This identity is automatically propagated and is asserted in the Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) container and this identity is that which the application starts under. Inbound requests that drive into a target enterprise bean arrive in the same manner as method invocations do for local IIOP requests and the security options for RunAs work in the same way as local IIOP requests

When transaction work passes between CICS and WebSphere Application Server for z/OS, either inbound or outbound, you must take into account some special security considerations. For example, you must determine if the authentication for inbound to WebSphere Application Server work should run with the authority of the specific CICS application or the overall CICS region authority. There are similar concerns when WebSphere Application Server sends outbound work to a CICS application; you must determine if CICS should honor the originating application authority or its own CICS current security profile.
Attention: You must make sure that the client applications are authenticated in order for CICS to process the request.

For passing requests in to WebSphere Application Server from CICS, you can indicate that you want to use the current CICS application identity by setting a flag for this with the Register API call.

About this task

The following steps include the tasks that you must complete to secure the optimized local adapters for an inbound call:

Procedure

Configure the security settings. The security identity propagation type is specified in registration flags when the optimized local adapters connection request is made in the call to BBOA1REG. You can select either the CICS region or application security profile.
Attention: In order for this to function properly, you need to have enabled CICS application level security with the SEC=YES CICS startup option.
Also, the CICS application user can only be propagated and asserted on the WebSphere Application Server thread when the ola_cicsuser_identity_propagate environment variable is set to 1. This gives control of this behavior to be managed by the WebSphere Application Server system programmer. When this option is set to 0 (the default), and the Register API calls CICS applications that select application level propagation, an error occurs. For more information about this environment variable see the topic, Optimized local adapters environment variables.

Set the environment variable to permit the CICS application-level identities to be used for authentication when the registration request is made. You can set the variable in the administrative console as follows:

  1. Click Environment > WebSphere Variables.
  2. Under Scope, select Cell from the Show scope selection drop-down list. If the ola_cicsuser_identity_propagate environment variable displays in the resources list, you do not have to add it again. You can continue with step c. If you have not added the variable to the resource list, you must Click Add. The ola_cicsuser_identity_propagate environment variable must be added to the display list the first time you do this task. Each time after the initial addition, you are able to select ola_cicsuser_identity_propagate from the display list after you set the scope.
  3. Click ola_cicsuser_identity_propagate A window displays the General Properties where you can configure the variable.
  4. Set the WebSphere Application Server environment variable to 1. If you set the environment variable to 0 (zero) or leave it undefined, the CICS application level security is not honored in an inbound call to WebSphere Application Server.
  5. Click Apply and OK.

Results

You have set up security for the optimized local adapters inbound connections.

What to do next

For more information about using security with IMS, see the topic, Security considerations when using optimized local adapters with IMS.



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Last updatedLast updated: Feb 6, 2014 8:11:25 PM CST
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